Public Release: 10-Jun-2011
New guidelines for diagnosis and management of hyperthyroid

IMAGE: Thyroid, the Official Journal of the American Thyroid Association is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. The journal publishes original articles and timely reviews that reflect...
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New Rochelle, NY, June 10, 2011--New clinical guidelines developed by an expert panel that include 100 evidence-based recommendations for optimal care of patients with hyperthyroidism and other causes of thyrotoxicosis are presented in the current issue of Thyroid, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The guidelines, developed jointly by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), are available free online at www.liebertpub.com/thy

Graves' disease (GD) is the most common form of thyrotoxicosis in North America and affects 1-2% of the population. Other causes of thyrotoxicosis, characterized by excessively high levels of thyroid hormone in the blood, include toxic multinodular goiter (TMG)--which is more common in Europe--autonomous thyroid nodular disease, and gestational thyrotoxicosis, which occurs during pregnancy.

A task force representing the ATA and AACE reviewed the medical literature and current standards of care and developed new guidelines that include recommendations for the following: initial evaluation and management of thyrotoxicosis; treatment of GD using radioactive iodine, antithyroid drugs, or surgery; management of GD in children, adolescents, and pregnant women; and subclinical hyperthyroidism. The lead author of the guidelines is Task Force Chair Rebecca Bahn, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

"These guidelines combine the vast experience of the expert panel with the latest scientific literature and provide practical guidance for the clinician managing patients with hyperthyroidism," says Gregory A. Brent, MD, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles and President of the ATA.

A related Editorial in this issue of Thyroid by Elizabeth Pearce, MD, MSc (ATA Board of Directors and Boston University School of Medicine) and colleagues highlights the key features and shortcomings of the new guidelines, noting that they are more comprehensive and more modern in format--providing levels of evidence to support individual recommendations--than previous versions.

Geraldo Medeiros-Neto, MD (Executive Council, Latin American Thyroid Society and Senior Professor, University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil), and coauthors of another Editorial accompanying the guidelines highlight recommendations developed and accepted equally by members of the task force from America and from Europe.

As the prevalence of thyrotoxicosis and its various forms and causes vary across the globe, as do preferred methods of therapy and patient management, this issue of Thyroid also includes an article by George Kahaly, MD, PhD (European Thyroid Association and Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany) and coauthors that presents a European perspective on the new guidelines, and Shunichi Yamashita, MD (Member of the council of the Asia & Oceania Thyroid Association, and Director, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan), providing several expert viewpoints from Japan and Korea.

"Hyperthyroidism affects both genders and people of all ages. These state-of-the-art guidelines highlight treatments and practices that improve patient outcomes. Clinicians that follow these guidelines are likely to immediately improve the care of their patients," says Richard T. Kloos, MD, Professor, The Ohio State University and Secretary/Chief Operating Officer of the ATA.

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Thyroid, the Official Journal of the American Thyroid Association (www.thyroid.org) is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. The Journal publishes original articles and timely reviews that reflect the rapidly advancing changes in our understanding of thyroid physiology and pathology, from the molecular biology of the cell to clinical management of thyroid disorders. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/thy

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international membership medical society with over 1,400 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 88th anniversary, ATA delivers its mission through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded monthly journals, Thyroid, Clinical Thyroidology and Clinical Thyroidology for Patients; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators, support of online professional, public, and patient educational programs; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease. The ATA has extensive online information at (www.thyroid.org) on thyroid disease for patients in both English and Spanish and serves as the clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, Journal of Women's Health, and Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com

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